The Liturgical Psalter, Plainsong Edition_PREVIEW

THE LITURGICAL PSALTER

Plainsong Edition

Edited by Michael Pirri

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Psalm texts are taken from:

A LITURGICAL PSALTER, GENERAL SYNOD 2016 EDITION

Te Psalter of Te Book of Alternative Services

Emended for Contemporary Liturgical Use

© 2016 Te General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada

Foreword

Much of this psalter is inspired by the 1963 publication Te Canadian Psalter, Plainsong Edition, edited by Healey Willan. It is lamentable that since the publication of the Book of Alternative Services in 1985, no plainsong psalter has been published to accompany the texts. Since 1985, much of the church in Canada has either continued used the 1963 publication, which matches the 1962 Book of Common Prayer wonderfully, or have resorted to alternate translations of the psalms which come from the United States.

Similarly, since the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada approved these texts for use in 2016, there has not been a publication of these psalm texts in either Anglican Chant or Plainsong editions. Te work of Plainsong in C anada will be accomplished through three avenues:

i. Te compilation of this new Plainsong Psalter

ii. Supporting web-based resources which include:

a. Te development of a new schema for the minor propers based on the Revised Common Lectionary ; and

b. Refrains and psalms pointed according to the Lectionary.

iii. Training and development opportunities for choir directors and organists.

It is our sincerest hope that this work will not only aid in the development of a greater understanding of the role of the propers at Holy Communion but also empower music ministers to execute chant in their communities with confdence.

April 2024

dash in parenthesis ( ) indicating you are to proceed from the last note of the mediation into the ending, skipping over the second reciting tone.

In order to preser ve text stress, some endings of verses have been modifed with a tie ( ) between words to indicate that they are sung to the same note.

Te Fauxbourdons pointed for the psalm verses are in all cases optional. You may follow the regular pointing as outlined above or follow the superscripted numerical pointing instead if you wish to sing the text to the pointed fauxbourdons tune. Tis is ideally done unaccompanied; great efort has been undertaken to ensure that the psalm tone is embedded in the fauxbourdons and as such, it may also be used as an optional accompaniment with the choir singing the psalm tone as usual.

Method of Accompani ment

While there is near unanimous consent that an authentic rendering of plainsong ought to be executed without accompaniment, the lived reality of many music ministries at parishes is quite diferent. Registration ought to support singing; ideally a small combination of sof 8’ stops in the swell division would be the ideal starting place for the choir. Here are a few other principles to keep in mind:

(1) Having already established that the primacy of the text is most important in the execution of plainsong, the accompaniment must neither distract nor obstruct the proper understanding of the text. A well-executed accompaniment would gently support the recitation and emphasize textual elements present.1 We can use Psalm 143 to consider how you might change your registration or harmonization:

3 For my enemies have sought my life; they have crushed me to the ground; they have made me live in dark places like those who are long dead. 4 My spirit faints within me; my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds; I consider the works of your hands. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land. 7 O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; do not hide your face from me or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

1 For two wonderful explorations on the psalms, see: Brueggemann, Walter, and W. H. Bellinger. Psalms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Westermann, Claus. The Psalms : Structure, Content, Message. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1980

(2) Plainsong is modal, meaning that the scales do not depend on the DominantTonic relationship, but rather on the Recitation-Final relationship. Before sitting down to play through the psalm, it may be helpful to consult the table below to identify the chords you can use in a mode to authentically render the accompaniment.2 Te modes also rely heavily on chordal structure which is quartal (based on the fourth) and so you’ ll fnd particular delight in the utilization of frst inversion chords. Avoid the use of Dominant V7–I.

(3) Appendix A–Annotated Bibliography contains numerous resources on Plainsong and Gregorian Chant accompaniment. Two sources from Appendix A are replicated in Appendix B–Tone Tables, namely Healey Willan’s accompaniment edition to the 1963 Te Canadian Psalter, Plainsong Edition as well as those Plainsong Accompaniment by J.H. Arnold from 1927. Tese will serve as a well-informed place to begin accompaniment.

(4) Practice! Aferall, this is a specialized skill; it’s important to try diferent things out and note down what your found afective.

2 Having said that, it is entirely permissible to introduce non-chord tones into the accompaniment to highlight textual elements. Nothing says the valley of the shadow of death in Ps. 23 quite like some dissonance.

Te purpose of this emendation is to prepare a psalter whose language is (i) faithful to the intent of the writers of the psalms as poems expressing the relationship between God and the people of Israel and (ii) fair to current users of the psalms who have found the predominately masculine language a barrier to the integration of the psalms into their life of prayer and worship.

• Te English language uses the masculine singular pronoun when referring to God in the third person. In this psalter alternative wordings or sentence structures have been used to eliminate the use of the masculine pronoun. In a similar fashion third-person plural pronouns have been used to replace the singular when referring to human beings in a particular category, e.g., ‘the wicked’, ‘the scornful’, ‘the righteous’, etc.

• While some contemporary psalters have eliminated the use of ‘Lord’ as a title for God, this emendation retains its use. In a world of competing claims of sovereignty, in our own times as well as in biblical times, the use of ‘Lord’ reminds us who is truly sovereign and whose purposes are being worked out in human history.

• In some cases masculine gender has been retained for human beings referred to in the psalms, e.g., Psalm 72. In such cases the context requires gender specifcity.

• Te psalms as printed in Evangelical Lutheran Worship and in the New Revised Standard Version of the Scriptures have been consulted for guidance in the emendation.

• Te versifcation of certain psalms has been altered to conform to the versifcation of the New Revised Standard Version in order to facilitate use with the Revised Common Lectionary citations of psalms, especially when liturgical planners are using on-line and web resources.

• At the discretion of the liturgical planner any psalm may be followed by the recitation of a doxology or a psalm prayer. Appropriate psalm prayers are found in Te Book of Alternative Services and Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Leaders Desk Edition.

• Te traditional division of the psalter into fve books has been maintained here as well as the use of the Latin incipits (‘frst line’).

• Te Liturgy Task Force recognizes that there are many inclusive-language psalters available for use including, but not limited to, the psalms in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the Psalter for the Christian People, Te Saint Helena Psalter and the Canadian publication, Songs for the Holy One.

3 See https://www.anglican.ca/about/liturgicaltexts/

1 YOU HAVE been gracious to your land, O Lord, | you have restored the good for-tune of Ja-cöb.

2 You have forgiven all the iniquity of your peo-ple | and blotted out all their sïns.

3 You have withdrawn all your fu1-ry | and turned yourself from your wrathful in-dig-na2-tïon3.

4 Restore us then, O God our Sav-iour; | let your anger de-part from üs.

5 Will you be displeased with us for ev 1-er? | Will you prolong your anger from age2 to3 äge?

6 Will you not give us life a-gain, | that your people may re-joice in yöu?

7 Show us your mer-cy, O Lord, | and grant us your sal-va-tïon.

8 I will listen to what you, Lord God, are say-ing, | for you are speaking peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to yöu.

9 Truly, your salvation is very near to those who fear1 you, | that your glory may dwell in our2 länd3.

10 Mercy and truth have met to-ge-ther; | righteousness and peace have kissed each o-thër.

11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, | and righteousness shall look down from heav-ën.

12 Lord, you will indeed grant pros -per-i-ty, | and our land will yield its in-crëase.

13 Righteousness shall go be-fore2 you, | and peace shall be a path -way for your2 fëet3.

Appendix A: Annotated Bibliography on Plainsong Accompaniment

Te accompaniment of both Gregorian chant and plainsong were subject to much experimentation between the mid-19th century and early 20th century, particularly as the Oxford Movement led a revival of the use of chant in Anglican liturgy throughout Europe. Early publications in the feld demonstrate completely diferent approaches to the use of chant within the church, the evolution of which can be tracked through a careful evaluation of treatises into the 20th century. In addition to historical accompaniment treatises, this bibliography provides an overview of basics of plainsong, that is rhythm, tonality, and text. Te historical treatises demonstrate the disjointed progression of the understanding and primacy of tonality and rhythm present in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as scholarship lacked a rigour and was too narrow in scope to be universally applicable. Additionally, compilations of accompaniments and modern (vernacular) accompaniment treatises are included here, as a means of evaluating the progress which has been made in the feld. Tere is notable gap in recent scholarship which may be a result of plainsong falling out of use in the majority of Anglican and Catholic churches. For the time being, plainsong accompaniment has been lef to musicians who have been fortunate enough to have learnt this art from teachers. Our hope is that this bibliography will provide the needed skillset for organists to develop their own methodologies and a profciency in plainsong accompaniment, freeing themselves from prescribed examples provided.

Modern (Vernacular) Accompaniment Treatises:

Entries in this category represent treatises whose principles could still be considered appropriate for use today. They each demonstrate a consistent use of modality and an emphasis on text stress to determine harmonic emphasis. The development of vernacular chants necessitates some modifications of musical notation which separate the original Latin text from the chant for which it was created. As this poses its own set of particular problems, selections here are limited to texts who deal with the accompaniment of non-Latin chants.

Arnold, John Henry. Plainsong Accompaniment. London: Oxford University Press, 1927.

Organist J.H. Arnold served as assistant organist at St. Mary’s Primrose Hill following the tenure of Francis Burgess who together with then choirmaster Rev. G.H. Palmer pioneered the parish use of plainsong in the English-speaking world. Tis edition, published toward the end of Arnold’s tenure there, is the culmination of both this work experience and research at St. Mary’s Convent in Wantage (Oxfordshire). As a key contributor to the 1933 edition of Te English Hymnal, Arnold’s infuence was secured by this book, whose principles are in use to this day for the accompaniment of plainsong. Plainsong Accompaniment commences with brief overviews in which he expresses the many merits and perils of chant notation, the rhythm of plainsong (describing the importance and primacy of text stress), and the tonality and scales of plainsong. Tese principles are expounded via chapters 4 and 5 through the extensive use of rules and comparative examples. Te book concludes with a chapter on the accompaniment of psalmody, where accompanying tone tables exposit numerous possibilities of every combination of psalm tone and ending. Additionally, there are many harmonisations of communion settings which readers will fnd useful. While some of the harmonies therein may be deemed démodé, this volume is at the centre of the plainsong revival in the early 20th century and as a blended resource of theory and practical example, is essential reading. It is widely referenced as resources by later musicians such as Healey Willan and Michael P.M. Fleming in their respective accompaniment treatises.

Burgess, Francis. Te Teaching and Accompaniment of Plainsong. London, 1914.

Based on a set of lectures from 1912, the author begins by briefy retracing the history of chant and its use within the church. A useful and accessible primer for those new to the subject, this book is split into two sections,

the frst covers the basics of chant notation, text stress and pointing, as well as musical stress, while providing a useful commentary on the state of Anglican church music and its use of plainsong, particularly as given by Merbecke. Te author cites several resources for accompaniments which may be of interest for individuals unskilled in accompaniment. Te second part, on accompaniment, begins by concisely articulating the issue of accompaniment of a monophonic chant which is meant to be sung unaccompanied. Noting the historical precedent of accompaniment, the author continues on with a brief outline of principles of accompaniment. Of note to readers is his approach to the doubling of notes as a method of thickening the sound to show musical stress on particular text stresses. A brief survey of accompaniment examples highlights this principle, and he concludes with a brief section on organ registration.

Fleming, Michael P.M. Te Accompaniment of Plainsong. Surrey (UK): Te Royal School of Church Music, 1963.

Tis short and accessible guide to the accompaniment of plainsong explores the practical necessities of learning to accompany and is an entry point for those new to the discipline. A brief overview of the elements of accompaniment is found afer a short exploration on the characterises of each of the eight modes. Te principles presented within the booklet serve as excellent reminders to even the astute reader. Fleming presents the ideas in an approachable language, while neatly highlighting the diferences between the accompaniment of plainsong hymns, psalmody, and canticles. He also provides some helpful points on common pitfalls for beginner organists regarding registration of plainsong.

Lapierre, Eugène. Gregorian Chant Accompaniment. Toledo: Gregorian Institute of America, 1949.

Devised as a series of twenty lessons, this book provides a more methodological approach to learning plainsong accompaniment. While the approach is straightforward it is nonetheless rigorous, covering the particularities of each mode as well as diferent instances of plainsong use. Although there is no particular lesson on rhythm, the typesetting throughout this book is excellent, ofen adding curved markings, or chironomy, to show the overline musical line. Tis book incorporates methodology of the Solesmes school, grouping notes into sets of either two or three. Each lesson concludes with a series of questions which prompt the reader to apply the lesson outlined. Lessons on the placements of chords are more thorough than other sources, citing the benefts of maintaining chords for longer periods than modern sensibilities. A particular strength of this

book is the lesson on transposition which demonstrates how one can superimpose the use of modern clefs onto the 4-line Gregorian staf quickly transpose at sight.

Peeters, Flor. A Practical Method of Plain-Chant Accompaniment. Mechlin: Malines H. Dessin, 1949.

Tis work lays out the Franco-Flemish method of accompaniment as championed by the author. Te work abandons traditional square note notation for unstemmed notation, which is common practice in most accompaniments found in publications of the 21st century. Widely regarded as the gold standard for organ accompaniment, Flor Peeters’ work in this book and the Nova Organi Harmonia seek to make accessible accompaniments of all chants in use in the Catholic church. More than simple principles for accompanying, Peeters provides new perspectives on accompaniment which view the chants holistically, considering their place in the liturgies and how they frame the liturgical action which they are surrounded by. Te author further elaborates how the art of improvisation can be used to bridge chants together through a service to create a simple sense of fow between elements, rather than simply bringing elements together through a modulation sequence, as one fnds in the Springer text.

Springer, Max. Te Art of Accompanying Plain Chant. London: Novello, 1905.

Tis book is among the most thorough and expansive on the subject. While the author is incredibly detailed on subject matter, his work assumes that the reader has little knowledge on the subject, which allows for a thoroughly profound engagement of the material. Te introductory chapters on the basics of chant are the clearest among any of the treatises, with excellent visual demonstration of the structure of the modes which aids tremendously in the comprehension of tonality. Te book alternates between chant notation and modern notation, ensuring that a fuidity between the two is created, allowing the accompanist to read and understand the rhythm of the chant while using modern theory of harmony to understand the accompaniment. Another strength of this book is the frequent use of examples which not only highlight diferent approaches to common occurrences in plainsong, but also any possible rhythmic combinations.

Historical (Gregorian Chant) Accompaniment Treatises:

Entries in this category include accompaniment methods which are no longer considered best practice or impractical due to historically informed performance practice. Although their methodologies are now deemed less correct, the evolution of accompaniment styles helps to trace the history of the accompaniments generally. Selections here contain resources for both English plainsong in the case of Oldroyd and Latin chant in the case of the others.

Bragers, Achille Pierre. A Short Treatise on Gregorian Accompaniment, According to the Principles of the Monks of Solesmes. New York, 1934.

The strength of this book lies in its lengthy discussion of each mode and their respective characteristics. Where others such as Oldroyd limit their discussion to only general principles of modal harmony for the modes, Bragers methodically works through each mode and explores the characteristics of the melismatic chants, as well as psalmody in each mode. Like others, there are some common cadences outlined for each mode that readers may commit to memory. The work is listed in the historical methods because, like Oldroyd, the author assigns a key proper to each of the modes. There is also a short discussion on the work of modulating between melodies throughout the service, which the author necessitates by the use of predetermined keys for each mode. However, the examples provided in the appendix are nicely labelled and are quite descriptive in their use of the rules as set out by the author.

Chassang, P. Manuel de l’accompagnateur de chant grégorien et de cantiques populaires. Paris: Procure Générale de Musique Religieuse, 1922.

This book begins with an overview of tonal harmony and basics of theory which newcomers to accompaniment may find helpful. The author curiously includes more detail around intervals and their inversions in this first chapter, which is later used as a basis for understanding quartal method for modal accompaniment. The fourth chapter on the accompaniment takes a similar approach to Springer’s The Art of Accompanying Plain Chant and includes cadential examples that a student ought to memorize to gain fluidity in each of the eight modes. This treaty does not generally follow the even early 20th century understanding of rhythm, instead opting for groupings of two wherever possible, resulting in a somewhat chunky rendering of the chant. This work is unique in that it does some what merge more modern theoretical approaches to melody, and there are examples of harmonizations using appoggiaturas and suspensions. Unlike the Niedermeyer text, the examples here do not indicate an unbearably

slow rendering, showing the development in the intervening forty-year period. Unfortunately, this text also includes the use of non-chord tones, opting for a sometimes tonal harmonization method instead of exclusively modal.

Niedermeyer, Louis. Traité Téorique et pratique de l’accompagnement du plain-chant. Paris: Henri Heugel, 1882.

Tis text is included as it is widely regarded as one of the frst treatises on accompaniment published. Although the focus is exclusively on Gregorian chant, it is easily observed how early attempts still maintained the importance and integrity of the modality of chant. Importantly, there is a focus on the mediant and fnale of each mode, highlighted throughout the book as it demonstrates the harmonization of cadences. Te work is split in two sections: preliminary observations and practical examples. Te practical examples are of little use to modern performers as they imply a terrifyingly slow tempo, but the principles outlined in the frst half of the volume are still useful to 21st century understanding of plainsong performance. Much of the methodology in this volume is mimicked in other volumes, particularly the Oldroyd, which follows the grouping of modes together in pairs and discussing their similarities in terms of harmonizations.

Oldroyd, George. Te Accompaniment of Plainchant. London: J. Curwen & Sons, 1924.

Tis book begins by succinctly explaining chant notation while briefy discussing the challenges posed by modern notation. Interestingly, it then lists a preferred key for each of the modes, citing as rationale that the reciting tone of each mode generally falls within a specifc range, and so the modes are presented as already transposed scales in modern notation. A similar approach is found throughout the book: explanation of historical aspects of plainsong contextualized by contemporary approach to harmony. Chapter eight contains what appears to be one of the earliest examples of advocating for the use of the dominant seventh chord, and chapter nine discusses the possibility of using consecutive ffhs. While the concluding chapters give some practical tips and examples about accompaniment, the work overall is lacking an informed historical perspective which only really came to light as a result of scholarship afer its publication, particularly with respect to authentic tonality in accompaniment.

Infuences on Plainsong:

Vernacular plainsong traces its roots back to Gregorian chant itself. It is useful to highlight the infuence of external societal developments such at the Oxford Movement in the Anglican church and the chant revival at Solesmes in the Catholic church. Tere is also evidence to suggest that even medieval falsobordonne renderings are themselves imitations of early forms of organ accompaniment. Tis tracing of historical developments demonstrates the evolution of the use of chant in the liturgy of both churches, and the interest in accompaniment treatises.

Briggs, Henry Bremridge. Te Work of the Benedictines of Solesmes in the Plainsong Revival. London: Harrison and Sons, 1899.

Tis short work is in some ways a predecessor to later books listed in this category. Exploring the work of Solesmes Abbey in plainsong revival, this booklet gives a narrative of the early workings of the monks which led to the publication of Paléographie Musicale. Te author’s perspective provides some helpful rationale for the use of plainsong in worship. Briggs provides insights into the intersection of liturgy, and historical musicology, ofering readers a concise understanding of the Benedictines' infuence on the plainsong revival. Tis book lacks any specifcity around key fgures and developments, but serves as a general overview. A much more detailed approach is taken in the Combe listed below.

Combe, Pierre. The Restoration of Gregorian Chant : Solesmes and the Vatican Edition. Translated by Theodore N. Marier. Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 2003.

This book offers a complete historical account of the work at the Abbey of Solesmes with a particular emphasis on the work of Dom Guéranger, Dom Mocquereau, Pope Leo XIII, and Pope Pius X. Despite the subject matter being almost exclusively about the influence of Solesmes, it does present the historical accounts rather objectively and aims to provide an accurate retelling through diary entries, correspondences, and archival research. This look at the inner workings of the abbey can provide some insight particularly in to the timing of publications and understanding of discrepancies in manuscriptions between editions. The enduring legacy of the work of the Solesmes community is evident in this book, despite only covering the years up to the Second Vatican Council (1965).

Foley, Edward. Ritual Music: Studies in Liturgical Musicology. Beltsville: Pastoral Press, 1995.

Te author presents an interesting approach to music within the Christian tradition, tracing roots back to the early Judeo-Christian community. While the substance of the musical elements of plainsong are not simple evolutions of Jewish cantillations, the Christian perspective of music in worship is based on what would have been common practice in the early centuries of the church. Te fnal chapters provide a useful discussion of a sound theolog y which contextualizes music through a theological lens; in applying these principles, the author explores the sacramental nature of unison congregational song. Tis book contains much of the theological rationalization which advocates for the use of plainsong and as such is a useful resource for the plainsong advocate.

Jenkins, Isabel Aldana. Te Infuence of the Oxford Movement on Church Music. Boston: Boston University Graduate School, 1946.

Tis excellent work traces the development of the Oxford Movement and how ritualism impacted the music in worship. Included are discussions about the general struggle between a Catholic movement within the Anglican church and the Catholic church itself, as well as highlighting key fgures of the Oxford Movement. Tere is some useful discussion in later chapters about how understanding of the plainsong melodies for any given Sunday can help inform the selection of hymns and anthems for worship. While these suggestions are now out of date, their rationale helps provide some valuable insight into keeping the Oxford Movement alive in church communities today.

Marshall, Perry Denison. Plainsong in English: An Historical and Analytical Survey. Doctor of Sacred Music Tesis, New York: Union Teological Seminary, 1964.

Tis dissertation provides an overview of the development of plainsong from its early beginnings in the 16th century to its modern use by Lutherans and Episcopalians in the United States. Tere are many helpful examples of side-byside renderings of English chants with the Latin counterparts which demonstrate how closely the English version follows the original Latin. It should be noted that the Latin version used in most examples are taken from the Liber Usualis which was not published until the 20th century. Most of English examples are from much earlier, such as the Merbecke pointing which dates from the 16th century. Te

helpful comparison of the same chant across a multitude of sources helps to explain the lack of uniformity in publications throughout the 20th century.

McWilliams, Patrick Evan. From English to Anglican Use: Liturgy, Ceremonial, and Architecture in the Church of England from 1899 to 1965. York: University of York, 2015.

Although this work does not contain any substantial coverage on the use of plainsong in the Anglican church through the 20th century, it does highlight the overall developments and trends within liturgy and ceremony. Each chapter contains some discussion about important changes to music within the specifed time period. Of particular interest are sections I.iv and II.iii which discuss the development and use of Te English Hymnal and the development and changes of music in the Anglican church through the mid-20th century. Te contextual discussions in this work help to frame the role of the Oxford Movement in the development of liturgical and musical changes through the 20th century.

Milsom, John. "English–texted Chant before Merbecke." Plainsong and Medieval Music no. 1 (1992): 77-92.

Tis article contains some interesting information about the early use of English-language plainsong before the time of Merbecke. Despite no uniform existence of notation for the texts, there is some evidence outlined to support the Use of Sarum (Salisbur y) as containing some form of musical notation for the English texts. Interestingly, the article explores that it is possible Merbecke had access to some of these tunes as the contain similarities, though Merbecke’s had been “Englished.” Particular chants, such as the Lord’s Prayer and Creed seem to tie more closely to the extant copies of collections of chants from Christ Church, Oxford. Te piece concludes that Merbecke’s longstanding use in Anglican liturgy are perhaps not merited through a more careful survey of historical chants.

Zon, Bennett. Te English Plainchant Revival. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Tis excellent work retraces the route of plainsong through the church beginning with the late 16th century up to the 20th century revival. Te work is split into three parts, looking at plainsong frst under the infuence of the Catholic church in England up to the 19th century, and then the next two parts looks at its evolution through the lens of the Catholic and Anglican churches respectively.

Te early part focuses on the work of John Francis Wade, a composer and prolifc copyist who Zon credits as being the father of the English plainchant revival. Tis work interestingly shows similar thought as many modern-day Anglo-Catholics who see the Anglican church as the descendant of the early Christian community in modern day England, as opposed to the reformed church of Henry VIII. Tis continuity is important as the author argues it establishes a precedent for the use of chant being integral to the Anglican identity and a viable route for the revival to continue.

Interpretation of Chant: Modality, Rhythm, and Text

Te principles of plainsong are based on the areas of modality, rhythm, and text primacy. While all accompaniment treatises necessarily deal with each of these topics, it is useful to consider these principles independent of musical accompaniment, as they are integral to the chant itself. Te entries in this category primarily provide an overview of these principles, while sometimes including smaller chapters on the accompaniment of plainsong.

Birkle, P. Suitbertus (trans.by A. Lemaistre) A Complete and Practical Method of the Solesmes Plain Chant. New York: Joseph F. Wagner, 1904.

Tis book provides some insight into the ofen overlooked liturgical recitatives of singing the scripture, as well as some of the particularities of plainsong hymns. Like other books here, there is particular attention given to the modes, but unlike the Burgess mentioned below, the discussion here is limited to the proper realization of the text pointing while leaving out any discussion on tonality or its characteristics. Te opening chapter regarding elements of plainsong are remarkably similar to the introduction of the English edition of the Liber Usualis, which is not surprising given that they are both published by Solesmes. Te Solesmes school of chant interpretation remains widely in use; this text uniquely contextualizes their plainsong melodies through the liturgical calendar of the church, denoting how the plainsong may change depending on the solemnity of the feast day.

Benedictines of Solesmes Abbey. Te Liber Usualis with Introduction and Rubrics in English. New York: Desclee, 1961.

Te English edition of the Liber Usualis is included here due to its excellent and exhaustive preface which provides a full overview of the use of chant in the Catholic church, as well as rules for interpretation according to the Solesmes methods. Te preface exhibits the expertise of the Abbey community, demonstrating not only a complete survey of historical interpretation but also

advocation and rationale behind their methodology. A careful reference of to this introductory preface will quickly answer any question about the performance of chant contained therein. All manner of neumatic notation is explained, along with accompanying notes about rhythm rendered in modern notation, as well as rules for the pointing of texts, Latin pronunciation. Noticeable absent is any discussion on either the merits or methods of accompanying the chants in the book, obviously demonstrating the preference is that it be unaccompanied.

Berry, Mary. Plainchant for Everyone: An Introduction to Plainsong. Croydon: Royal School of Church Music, 1979.

This short handbook on plainsong provides the necessary tools for the early practitioner of chant to learn to read neumatic notation. The work is specifically focused on the elements of plainsong psalms, which form the basis of all plainsong. The volume, though small, covers a tremendous range of topics related to plainsong and its performance. This guide contains specific advice on the implementation of chant into a church community, and how to go about teaching plainsong to choirs which are very much not used to singing in unison according to the text stresses. An excellent entry point into the basics of plainsong, the text even goes into some detail about the differences between different schools of chant such as Solesmes and Dominican chant, and also provides a short summary guide of Latin pronunciation.

Burgess, Francis. A Textbook of Plainsong and Gregorian Music. London: Vincent Music Company, 1906.

While this book contains chapters on a number of diferent topics, including accompaniment, its main focus is plainsong psalmody and its distinct tonality and rhythm. Te expansive chapter on what the author terms recitative chant deals exclusively with psalm tones and their intonations, mediants, and terminations. Te chapter on tonality describes characteristics of each of the modes, comparing and contrasting them with one another. Te chapter on rhythm deals exclusively with text rhythm, which the author asserts has primacy over rhythm of the notation. One of the strengths of this book lies in its contrasting of examples of setting the same texts between the modes and its efect on speech cadence.

Burgstahler, Patricia. “Te Accompaniment of Gregorian Chant.” Master of Arts Tesis, Kansas City: Nazareth College, 1956.

Te strength of this dissertation lies in the author’s excellent synthesis of rhythm and modality theories in use by the mid-20th century. An early chapter on modality discusses the merits of tertian or quartal harmonies. Ten exploring the history of rhythmic approaches, the author explores three schools of thought: mensuralist, accentualist, and Solesmes. While the latter is likely familiar to those who study plainsong and its accompaniment, the frst presents a historical precedent for chant performance which is not widely in use, though helpful to understand why some traditions, particularly the French, observe the performance practice of singing chants with a dotted or mensural metre. Te accentualist and Solesmes methods are actually competing schools of thought withing Solesmes itself, with the latter being the more widely used method, as championed by Dom Mocquereau. Te summarizing chapter on harmony synthesizes the use of primarily quartal harmonies while observing the principles of accentualist rhythm. Te concluding chapter contains accompaniment examples which demonstrate how alternating between tertian and quartal accompaniments can help emphasize naturally occurring rhythms in the text of the chant.

Merkley, Paul. "Tonaries and Melodic Families of Antiphons." Journal of the Plainsong and Mediaeval Music Society 11 (1988): 13-24.

Tis article provides some background into the groupings of modality present in antiphon tonaries in Gregorian and Ambrosian chant. Te survey evaluates the system developed by Gavaert which groups the terminations of tones as a means of determining their modality and appropriateness for specifc texts. Merkley explores the possibilities that smaller tonary collections seem to more closely match the modality ideal of chant modes, while the larger collections seems to ofer more specifc and perhaps convoluted modalities which can sometimes muddy the overall efect when transitioning from antiphon to psalm-tone. Te author acknowledges that in most cases, these tonary collections were designed to work in conjunction with specifc psalters and that their rubrics which help correspond particular antiphons to their specifc tones may be lost to time.

Shironishi, Ruka. “Plainchant Accompaniment and Modal Harmony in Nineteenth-Century France.” Ph.D. Tesis, New York: City University of New York, 2021.

Tis dissertation summarizes early French approaches to harmonization of plainsong and demonstrates their infuence on compositions through the 20th century. It is important to consider the historical approach to plainsong accompaniment in France as that tradition continued to thrive well into the mid20th century, until changes in the Catholic church at the Second Vatican Council led congregations to abandon their use of chant in the liturgy. Te legacy of modal accompaniment today imbues the thriving French school of organ improvisation. Tis work is included because it highlights historical approaches to modality and their infuence on the compositions of Liszt, Fauré and Satie. Chant melodies are also at the core of many works by organist-composers such as Marcel Dupré, Maurice Durufé, and Charles-Marie Widor. Shironishi’s exploration of the contextualization of plainsong in compositions is a useful examination of how these melodies may be given a new life through modern harmony.

A ppendix B: Tone Tables (cont’d) – Tone VII (J.H. Arnold)